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WHERE TO GO 



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IN FLORIDA. 



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BY 



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DANIEL F. TYLER. 



"®f)ost opinions onlj art to it approbfir fo^u^ tf)e 
lihis of li^os£ boto f)oIiiJ t^tm wnfirm."— /^m/^//^. 



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NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM M. CLARKE, 

121 AND 123 SOUTH FIFTH AVENUE. 



COPYRIGHT, 1881, BY 

WILLIAM M. CLARKE. 



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AUTHOR'S APOLOGY. 



Five Winters ago, the writer of this pamphlet went to Florida, out 
of health. Receiving great benefit the first year, he purchased a 
cottage at Green Cove Spring, to which place he was strongly recom- 
mended by a friend in New~ York. Becoming more and more attached 
to the spot, he has ventured to publish his observations in this simple 
form, hoping thereby to extend the benefit to others. 

He also hopes — by attracting good people to Green Cove — to add 
greatly to its material prosperity. Hitherto this most desirable location 
has made itself known through its own merits only, no efforts having 
yet been made to bring it into general notice; consequently many 
tourists have passed it by altogether. 

You may, at first sight, be a little disappointed. The general aspect 
of things is, perhaps, primitive, and somewhat strange to the Northern 
eye. Yet this is not unpleasing ; and the place has a wonderful capacity 
for growing upon one's affections. A single Winter passed there con- 
firms your love for it. You always want to go back to it again. You 
realize a moi-al as well as a physical benefit from this communion with 
the primitive world. 

The author has endeavored, in this pamphlet, to state simple facts. 
If anything here seems too highly colored, it should be attributed wholly 
to the writer's affection for the place : or as a sort of mental thank-offer- 
ing for restoration to health. 

New York, September, 1880. 



Green Cove Spring, 



CLAY CO., FLORIDA. 



" Be sure to go to Green Cove Spring, and take a plunge in the 
swimming-pools there," said an old friend in New York, to the writer. 
" Green Cove is the most enjoyable place in Florida^'' he continued ; " and 
there is where to go. " 

To the Florida tourist nothing can be in greater contrast than to get 
out of the dusty cars at Jacksonville, and be transferred to the deck of 
the St. John's River steamer. Very soon you are steaming away up the 
river, with a soft breeze fanning your cheek. After leaving Jacksonville 
behind you, the river gradually broadens out until it attains the mag- 
nificent width of five miles. In less than three hours you reach Green 
Cove Spring, thirty miles south of Jacksonville. 

Man is a sort of semi-amphibious creature — he loz'es the water. Con- 
sequently one of the first things which attaches the new-comer to Green 
Cove, is the discovery that the whole river-front is not taken up by 
steamboat wharves, stores and warehouses. 

The most attractive walk there is along the banks of the river, with 
not a thing to obstruct the vision but the overhanging branches of the 
trees. Beautiful vistas continually open out upon the river, as you stroll 
along through " Lovers' Walk," and the eye reaches over the blue 



■WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 



expanse of water to the distant shore, meeting occasionally, along 
the horizon, with a flock of whitecurlews, gray herons, or mallard ducks. 




Above you are the lofty branches of the live-oak, the magnolia, and the 
cypress. Long festoons of gray Spanish moss hang suspended from ten 
thousand forest trees, or wave gracefully in the gentle breeze. And, if 
it happens to be February, the air is filled with the rich fragrance of 
yellow jasmine, which blooms in that month — a far sweeter perfume to 
many than that of the orange-blossom itself. 

Sitting upon an old log in these primeval woods, you lift your hat 
from your brow, expand your chest, and drink in with delight the balmy 
air you have travelled more than a thousand miles to reach. 



FLORIDA A NORTHERN STATE. 7 

Surely — to the sensitive invalid, to the overtaxed student, or to the 
worn and weary business man, seeking rest and recruitment — no place 
on earth can surpass this lovely retreat. 

A great source of comfort to sojourners at Green Cove is the absence 
of dust and mud. No matter how dry or how rainy the day may be, 
one is not blinded and tortured by clouds of the one or puddles of the 
other of these common destroyers of human comfort. 



Florida a Northern State. 

It may almost be said with truth that Florida is a Northern State as 
regards population, so many Northerners are now residing there. You 
see it in the very newness of things. Settlements of Northern and 
Western people may be found in many parts, but especially along the 
St. John's River, the great central artery of the State. 

The new-comers are starting orange-groves, and planting bananas, 
sugar-cane, fig-trees, guavas, Japan plum, etc., etc. But the State 
appears primitive yet. 

It seems to me that a most paying investment for the new settlers 
along the St. John's River would be the raising of early strawberries, 
pease, cucumbers, beets, potatoes, etc., for the New York, Philadelphia, 
and Boston markets, because transportation is speedy and direct from 
this region to the Northern markets, and the first early vegetables 
bring the highest prices. This ought to be a profitable employment 
for the farmer while awaiting the growth of his orange and lemon 
groves. 

When the railway trains and steamers from the North arrive in 
Jacksonville, it is amusing to hear the exclamations of delight and the 
spontaneous outbursts of those who have never been in Florida, and 
who left home only a few days before, and in a snow-storm, perhaps. 
But when upon the broad and beautiful St. John's, sailing on toward 
Green Cove Spring, the exclamations of pleasure and surprise are more 
numerous still. 

In the winter of 1877, when I crossed the Hudson at New York, 
en route for Florida, muffled in a heavy overcoat, I stood outside upon 
the deck, watching the falling snow-flakes and listening to the huge 
cakes of floating ice butting the ferry-boat. 



8 



"WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 



Two days and a few hours later brought me where ripe oranges were 
hanging on the trees, mocking-birds were singing in the branches, and 
all living things seemed basking in the sunlight out-of-doors. 

Marvellous chanp-e ! And in so short a time I 




^^■' ' 



March is the month when the orange-tree blossoms. It is a beautiful 
picture to see a large tree in full bloom, and at the same time, ripe 
oranges clustered amongst the blossoms. The dark glossy green of the 
old leaf, and the delicate fresh verdure of the new leaf, are also to be 
seen upon the tree at the same time. Indeed, sometimes you see blos- 
soms, green fruit, and ripe fruit all upon the tree at once. 



CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE. 9 

Changes in Temperature. 

"The air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself to our gentle senses." 

— Shakspeare. 

Those who come to Florida expecting that there will never be any 
changes in temperature greater than ten degrees, or that the air is dead 
with perpetual sameness, will find themselves mistaken. There are not 
infrequent changes of lo, 15, or 20 degrees, and more, in as many hours, 
perhaps. But the change is in a very different range of the thermometer 
from the changes at the North during the same months. It will be, for 
instance, from moderate to warm, — say from 50° to 75°, or vice versa, — 
while at the North the change will be one that fearfully racks a delicate 
organism. It will be a sudden jump from cool to below the freezing- 
point. 

At the North, in February, the invalid is languidly gasping for 
breath over a coal fire, or breathing the noxious airs of the furnace, or 
the sewer and the gas-pipe. In Florida, he may be warmly wrapped, it 
is true, and sometimes sitting by a pine-knot fire ; but his life is mostly 
out-of-doors, breathing fresh, pure air, while the genial sun shines down 
upon him, and the green trees and birds welcome him to a new life. 

At the North, during the Winter, there are only about five or six 
pleasant, sunny days in a month, when I can enjoy being out-of-doors. 
In Florida, this is exactly reversed ; there are generally twenty-five sun- 
shiny days to five cloudy or rainy days in the month. 

It is a great wonder that man, with all his boasted superiority of 
brain, should so long put off acting with the instinct wisdom of the bird, 
who migrates to warmer climates from the inhospitable snow-clad and 
ice-bound regions of the North, during those months when Nature seems 
striving, over a large portion of the globe, to freeze out and utterly 
to destroy all living things. 

The following figures were taken at the Clarendon Hotel, at 
Green Cove Spring : 

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE, SEASON OF 1877-8. 



6 A. M. 


12 M. 


6 P. M. 


6 A. M. 


12 M. 


6 p. M. 


6 A. M. 


12 M. 


6 p. r 


Nov., 57° 


73° 


65° 


Jan., 54° 


65O 


62° 


March, 58° 


75° 


720 


Dec, 58^ 


68° 


630 


Feb., 58° 


70° 


66° 


April, 650 


77° 


760 



lO WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

An old European traveller (from England), sitting upon a Green 
Cove piazza five Winters ago, in company with the writer, told him that 
he had been to every salubrious climate on the globe, and that Florida 
surpassed them all. " This wonderful climate," he said, " only needs to 
be known, to be sought for by tourists from all parts of the world." 



Green Cove Warm Sulphur Spring. 

This wonderful spring is located in the Park opposite the Clarendon 
Hotel. The water boils up from a large fissure, some twenty feet below 
the surface, at the rate, it is said, of three thousand gallons per minute. 
It is as clear as a diamond, and the effect is most beautiful at noonday, 
when the sun shines directly into the spring, and objects can be seen at 
the bottom tinted with the prismatic hues. 

The basin of the spring is about twenty feet in diameter. It is 
greatly to be regretted that no exact analysis of the water has yet been 
made ; but Dr. Applegate tells me a qualitative analysis shows the fol- 
lowing components : Calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate, magnesium 
carbonate, silica, sodium sulphate, potassium sulphate, alumina, silicate 
of, and organic matter. 

The swimming-pools are only a few feet from the basin of the spring, 
and the water flows through them in an immense volume, but so quietly 
as hardly to be observed. These pools are about twenty-five feet wide 
and seventy-five feet long, with a row of dressing-rooms on one side and 
stairways descending into the water, which is four feet deep. The ladies 
have a separate pool, and further along there are smaller pools for private 
bathing. 

The tourist will find nothing in Florida more delightful than a bath 
in this water, the natural temperature of which is about 78°. For inva- 
lids, who cannot enjoy the open-air pools, hot and cold sulphur baths are 
provided at the Clarendon. 

Ladies who enjoy bathing should not forget to take their bathing- 
suits with them, as " swimming in the pools " is a great sport at Green 
Cove, and those who cannot swim may easily learn under the tuition of 
Miss Smith, the obliging manageress of the Spring. 



GREEN COVE WARM SULPHUR SPRING. 



II 



It is said that you can enjoy these swimming baths every day in 
Winter. Certainly it has seemed odd enough to me, just after reading a 
letter from home telling of a severe snow-storm, to go and take my bath, 




with the accompanying chorus of mocking-birds in the surrounding 

trees. 

Dr Rogers writes me: "For bathing, this water is not excelled in 
its cleansing powers, and it leaves the skin in its softest and best condi- 



12 "WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

tion. During the past twelve Winters I have, with the most gratifying 
results, regularly prescribed the drinking of this water for the various 
chronic affections of the liver and kidneys. It is especially valuable in 
the early stages of Bright's disease of the kidneys." 

Dr. Colmar says : " Surprising cures in cases of neuralgia, nervous 
prostration, rheumatism, and liver and kidney complaints have been 
effected by the water of this famous White Sulphur Spring. The most 
widely known physician of Jacksonville — at one time a hopeless invalid 
— was restored to health, and to long years of laborious and lucrative 
practice, by the use of its waters, after having in vain tried other reme- 
dies. If this water is allowed to remain in a clean glass vessel for 
twelve hours or more, it becomes as inodorous, tasteless, and clear as the 
purest distilled water. Hence its wonderful action upon the kidneys." 

As Dr. Colmar says, this water, standing for some hours in a clean 
vessel, becomes tasteless and clear as distilled water ; so that, in the 
hotels and private residences, it is iced and used upon the dinner-table. 
The value of such a spring is hardly to be estimated. In the one case, 
drink it from the boil in the spring, and you get its medicinal effects. In 
the other case, let it stand until the gases escape, and you have a crystal 
drinking-water. Let any reasoning mind consider for a moment, and 
decide whether or no, when Florida becomes more widely known by 
tourists and health-seekers, Green Cove is destined to become the favorite 
resort of the State, and the most desirable permanent abiding-place to 
be found in the South. It is a mere question of time. 



Florida Just Becoming Known. 

It will not surprise one that Florida is only just beginning to be 
known when a few facts are considered. Firstly — It was not admitted 
as a State until the year 1845, although containing the oldest city of the 
Union. Secondly — The long Indian wars kept the State in a continual 
turmoil until a very recent date. The Seminole war was not officially 
declared closed until May 8th, 1858. So that between the ending of the 
Indian wars and beginning of the great civil war in 186 1, there was but 
a short period of three years. Thus, from its unsettled condition, Flor- 



"WHERE TO LOCATE. I3 

ida was almost wholly unknown by people generally, until the Northern 
soldiers who were quartered there in 1862-3-4 returned home to tell 
of its wonderful climate and picturesque woods, its soft, balmy air and 
surprising healthfulness,its beautiful flora and gorgeous birds of plumage. 
This tempted many of them to return after the war closed, and was the 
primal cause of thousands of Northerners going there, finally to make it 
their home. 

The " American Cyclopaedia " speaks of Florida as follows : 

" Garden vegetables are produced in the greatest abundance. The 
driest seasons are relieved by heavy dews, and the sun that would b^e 
the earth in other parts, and wither vegetation, is here so tempered by 
the pervading moisture as to cover the surface with perennial verdure.* 
The prairies afford excellent pasture. Here cattle require little care 
from their owners, and no housing in Winter ; and in most parts of the 
State, hogs fatten without any other support than that which they derive 
from the roots and mast of the forest. Deer of various kinds abound, 
and smaller game is found in all parts of the country. The coast waters 
are productive of the finest fish, including the sheepshead, grouper, red 
fish, mullet, green turtle, and oysters ; and the numerous lakes and 
rivers of the interior teem with fresh-water species." 

Certainly Florida possesses one thing which money can never buy or 
labor create — that is, Climate. We cannot make it come to us. The 
only alternative for us is to go to it. 



Where to Locate. 

It will surprise many to know that Florida is larger than either of the 
great States of New York, Ohio, or Pennsylvania. Much of the land in 
the State, therefore (although very cheap), is far away from the markets 
and from, lines of travel and transportation. This is not the case with 

* The "pervading moisture" is sufficient to neutralize the air, but not to make it 
"damp." Without the dews vegetation would wither — Florida would be arid. There 
is a great distinction between " sufficiency " and "overplus." Let this be noted. 



lb 



14 WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA^ 

the large body of land at Green Cove Spring, owned by Col. Houstoun 
Clinch, of Savannah, which is now being subdivided into lots of a size 
suitable to the requirements of settlers. These lands are right upon the 
central line of transportation — the St. John's River. 

This tract of land — bounded on the east by the St. John's, and on 
the north and west by Governor's Creek, as shown on the map of the 
St. John's River — was granted by the Spanish Crown to Don George 
I. F. Clarke, the Surveyor General of the Colony. 

When Florida was ceded to the United States, this entire grant, 
excepting fifteen hundred acres, was purchased from Clarke by General 
Clinch, of the U. S. Army, who was at that time in command of the 
troops stationed in the " Southern Department." 

About fifty years ago. General Clinch had a town laid off upon the 
river-bank, not far from the upper end of the grant, which was called 
"Bayard." 

In the immediate vicinity of this site the ruins of an old Spanish fort 
can still be plainly traced, although covered, as they are, by the forest 
trees which have grown over them during the three centuries of time 
elapsing since the fort was stormed and dismantled by the French. 
The incidents connected with this event characterize it as one of the 
most heroic and brilliant exploits of that chivalric and adventur- 
ous era. 

The " town " of Bayard did not long survive its birth and christen- 
ing, meeting an untimely end at the outbreak of the Seminole war, 
in 1835. 

The grant, however, has ever since been known as the " Bayard 
tract," and has remained in the family of General Clinch. 

Almost every variety of soil can be found on this tract, from the 
heavy alluvial of the hummocks to the lighter but surprisingly pro- 
ductive soil of the highlands. 

The " hummocks " have always been recognized as being extremely 
valuable for agricultural purposes, provided they could be drained ; but 
as they were liable to be overflowed by heavy rains, their cultivation has 
never been attempted. 

In the month of May, 1880, Col. Clinch employed a competent 
engineer to run several lines of level from the river to the rear of the 
tract, when it was ascertained — to the surprise of every one — that these 
hummocks, lying from a mile, in some cases, to half a mile in others, 
from the river, were twenty-five to forty feet above high-water 



■WHERE TO LOCATE. 15 

mark. Their thorough drainage, therefore, became only a question 
of expense. 

Work was at once begun to effect this, by digging canals and ditches, 
and already a great deal has been accomplished. A canal about half a 
mile long and ten feet deep in many places, connecting a large body of 
hummock with the river, shows the pine land through which it is cut to 
be a dark gray loam on the surface, underlaid by clay, which rests, at a 
depth of from three to five feet, upon a bed of rich shell marl, inter- 
spersed with the bones and teeth of fish and animals. Arrangements 
are making to deliver this marl at the river to purchasers. It can be 
utilized as a fertilizer in the vicinity at a cost almost inappreciable. Mr. 
Bemis, as agent for Col. Clinch, has also for sale several miles of river- 
front, which includes many of the most beautiful sites for residences to 
be found on the St. John's. Among these are the lots fronting on the 
famed " St. David's Path." All letters of inquiry will receive prompt 
attention, and should be addressed to C. C. Bemis, Esq., Agent, Green 
Cove Spring, Clay Co., Florida. 

The spring water at Green Cove is unexcelled for purity and health- 
fulness. The markets are near by ; and early strawberries, pease, beans, 
tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, radishes, squashes, turnips, cucumbers, 
melons, etc., should find a ready sale. Market gardeners are much 
wanted in Florida. 

I have always found Green Cove healthy, and I know of no pleas- 
anter spot for a residence. Moreover, it promises to be one of the most 
growing places in the State. 

The town is fully organized, with its Mayor and Council. The 
citizens are peaceful and industrious ; and I have many times remarked 
that I have never lived in a more honest community. There are three 
or four churches. The interior of the new Episcopal Church, finished in 
native woods, is really beautiful. Green Cove is the county town. 
Honest, industrious, and peace-loving citizens are wanted there, and will 
be warmly welcomed and cordially treated. 



l6 WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

Florida Soil 

It is one of the wonders to a Northern man that anything at all will 
grow in the "sandy soil" of Florida. But this soil is not Hke other 
sand, and when we see such products as the orange, lemon, banana, 
guava, fig, pomegranate, Japan plum, citron, lime, sugar cane, cotton, 
sweet-potato, and the profuse growth of melons and vegetables, faithless- 
ness dies. 

Climate seems to offset an apparent lack of richness in soil. 

I believe that the thrifty farmer of the North and West, with a little 
experience, can succeed well in Florida. I believe that plentiful manur- 
ing and watering will more than repay the expense and trouble. A 
small windmill, to water plants in March, April, and May, would seem 
to be the wisest expenditure of money a market gardener could make, 
and yet you see comparatively few there. The expense of living in 
Florida is very small, and the life is all out-of-doors. There are no long, 
severe, tempestuous Winters to provide against. All over the State you 
will find Northern men and women, who have been living there from 
five to fifteen years, and who could not be induced to return North. 
One man — a German — told me he " would not return to New York to 
remain the balance of his life for a million of dollars ! " The death of 
his wife and several children at the North had driven him to Florida. 



Flora. 

Many persons, upon their first arrival in Florida, seem disappointed 
that the flora of all the year is not visible upon the very day of their 
coming. "Florida, the Land of Flowers," they say — "Where are the 
flowers?" Tourists generally arrive just at the time of year when 
Nature is resting, as it were, in the dead of winter, and they expect too 
much. 

Besides, the State is very new in respect to ornamental cultivation. 
It is primitive yet. Most of the people there are engaged in the prac- 
tical rather than the ornate. They are seeking a livelihood, and have 



FLORA. 



17 



little time for the cultivation of flowers, and the natural flora there com. 
mences later. The yellow jasmine, for instance, blooms m February, 




the orange and Cherokee rose in March, the oleander, pomegranate, 
woodbine, honeysuckle, and sweet olive in April, and the magnolia. Cape 
jasmine, and sweet bay tree in May, and so on. 



l8 -WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

Yet the eye is delighted, whatever month you may arrive there, with 
a perennial foliage ; and those who wander away into the deep woods 
may find many beautiful lilies, flowering shrubs, and tiny woodland 
blossoms hid away, to be sought after, like all valuable things. 

The reason why most of the fashionable tourists to Florida see little 
of the rich native bloom (which gave its name to the State) is, that they 
do not go where the wild flowers grow — that is, in the woods ; and those 
who do go into the woods most frequently do so upon their very first 
arrival — in December and January. 

If they wander through the woods in February, but more especially 
in March, April, and May, they will see what the discoverers of the 
continent saw, and they, too, will name it the '■'■ Land of Flcnvers.'''' 

Sometimes a strong west wind will blow pollen * from the pines and 
shrubbery along the banks of the river in great quantities. This spreads 
over the surface of the water, forming a sort of green scum alongshore, 
and it is amusing to see how alarmed some timid Northerners grow 
about it, lest they should at once contract malaria. But the thing is of 
course perfectly harmless, and the morrow's trade- wind, agitating the 
river, dissolves it like mist before the sun. How can a broad river, 
flowing to the sea (whose surface is daily lashed into little waves and 
white-caps by the trade- winds), retain or collect decayed vegetable 
matter like a stagnant pool ? Common sense rejects the idea. A deal 
of nonsense is talked about "malaria" in Florida. One may run a risk 
if sleeping upon boughs on the margin of swamps in the wild woods, as 
some enthusiastic huntsmen do, in ^^ camping out.'''' But even these 
return, after a long trip, bronzed like Indians, with every outward 
evidence of perfect health. And consider the army once camped in the 
Okeechobee region, or at the edge of the "Everglades." Let sensible 
people read General Lawson's comparative health tables, printed here- 
after, and be convinced. 

* Dr. George Martin, of Philadelphia, after examination by the microscope, has 
kindly called attention to the fact that what was supposed to be "pollen " is in fact one 
of the fresh- water A Igce, alive and growing upon the water, an exceedingly beautiful 
plant, when highly magnified, and, of course, harmless. 



ST. DAVID'S PATH. 



19 



St. DAVID'S Path. 



This lovely walk is worth a journey to Green Cove Spring to enjoy. 
My ideal of Florida was never realized until I had wandered through its 
shady aisles. It has repeatedly been pronounced by travellers to be one 
of the most beautiful woodland scenes in the world, and is often 
called " Lovers' Walk," from a legend prevailing, that bachelors and 
maidens who dare to brave its precincts in company are sure to come 
out lovers. 




It is said to be nearly two miles in length, but does not seem more 
than half that distance to the delighted pedestrian. The walk wmds 
through the forest, along the banks of the St. John's, from Green Cove 



20 WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

Spring to Governor's Creek, within sight of the well-known resort of 
Magnolia. • 

No picture from the camera can ever give more than a faint idea of 
this romantic spot. It is arched and embowered on each side by lofty 
magnolias, live-oaks, cypress, wild azalea, Indian pipe-stem, brier-wood 
and gum tree, and the ground is carpeted with acres of palmetto 
shrub. Intertwined in the branches are thousands of vines, wild grape, 
gourd, morning glory, trumpet vine, and yellow jasmine. 

Festoons and draperies of Spanish moss overhead are continually 
waving to and fro in the passing breeze. Here and there, spots of blue 
sky are seen through the openings in the foliage ; birds sing and chirp 
in the branches, and beautiful vistas open out upon the river at each 
turn of the path. Every tint of verdure delights the eye, from the 
delicate, feathery cypress-leaf to the dark, glossy green of the magnolia 
grandiflora. 

Every now and then you pause in delight to look back into the forest 
through and along great cathedral aisles, or into some woodland bower 
overarched with vines and Spanish moss. 

In the afternoon, the rays of the declining sun, glancing through 
the varnished leaves and hanging moss, produce the most beautiful 
effects. 

And at night, when the full moon is overhead, darting its silver 
beams through the forest, and playing witchery with the fancies of the 

young . Well! I think I had better drop the subject here, 

and simply advise all lovers of nature to go there and romance for 
themselves. 



Alligators and Birds. 

The Florida tourist will be disappointed at not seeing more alligators 
and beautiful birds of plumage along the St. John's. Except in 
distant flocks, it is rare, any longer, to see such birds as the white and 
the gray heron, the pink curlew, and the scarlet flamingo along the 
banks of the river. 

One must penetrate into the distant hunting-grounds of the State to 
find them now in any numbers. During the past twelve years, so many 



ALLIGATORS AKD BIRDS. 



21 




^^"^^EX^^OX 6o^^^ 



full-fledged and unfledged huntsmen have been permitted to fire indis- 
criminately from the steamers' decks, that the alligators and birds have 
fled from this terrible field of slaughter to distant retreats, where they 
may enjoy some degree of safety. So that the traveller on the St. John's 
is now deprived of a great treat. 

It was no uncommon thing, two or three years ago, to see the most 
gorgeous birds shot down from a lofty branch, by a good marksman on 
the steamer's deck. This was mere wanton destruction, for the birds 
were of course left to decay on some wild bank. And the poor alligators 
have been so peppered with bullets that they have mostly gone to parts 
unknown. 

If the Legislature of the State should pass a prohibitory law in 
respect to shooting from the steamers' decks, it would be humane and 
wise — and the sooner the better! Then, perhaps, the birds of plumage 



ic 



22 "WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

would return again, in a few years, to delight the eyes of thousands of 
travellers on the St. John's, and the Legislature of Florida would score 
one in the grand march of enlightenment. 



Why Florida is Not Barren. 

The curious student of geography will find, by consulting his map 
of the world, that the same parallels of latitude which pass through the 
great Desert of Sahara also pass through Florida, and, to a reflecting 
mind, the questions arise : " Why is not Florida as iininhabitable as 
Sahara?'''' " Why is vegetation there so luxuriant ? " " Why do flow- 
ers bloom with such surpassing loveliness ? " " Wliy is the air so balmy 
during those trying months of February, March, and April? " 

Is it not because of the large bodies of water which surround and 
intersect it ? On one side the Gulf of Mexico, on the other the Atlantic ; 
and running up and down through the State, the great St. John's, three, 
four, and five miles in width. 

Why, then, think that Florida must be damp and unhealthy? With- 
out this expanse of tuaters, Florida inight be an arid desert like Sahara; 
with it, it is a perpetual garden. The very thing of which the unthink- 
ing complain is that which renders Florida air so pure, balmy, and deli- 
cious, and its soil so fruitful, in a literal sense. 

The " Spanish moss," which hangs in such profusion from the 
branches of the trees, it was once thought was an indication of damp 
and unhealthy localities. Now, however, just the opposite theory pre- 
vails, and appears to be correct : that wherever Spanish moss thrives, 
all superfluous dampness is absorbed by it, and it is now considered 
unwise to remove it. Being an air-plant, without roots, it lives wholly 
upon the air, and takes its sustenance from the atmospheric moisture, 
drinking up and exhausting the overplus. This moss does not love the 
swamp, however. Observe the beautiful, thick, and luxuriant speci- 
mens, ten feet long, which you find along the high banks of the St. 
John's, at Green Cove. Compare these with the thin and sickly fragments 
hanging upon the trees in swampy regions, which seem to be strug- 
gling for bare existence, and be convinced that this moss, like mankind, 
thrives best in healthy places. It likes neither the desert nor the swamp. 



w 



IS FLORIDA A SICKLY COUNTRY T 23 

Is Florida a Sickly Country? 

( From the Floi'ida N'ew- Yorker. ) 

" Very high authority — Surgeon-General Lawson, of the regular 
army — closes an official report with the remarkable sentence: 'In short, 
it may be asserted, without fear of refutation, that Florida possesses a 
much more agreeable and salubrious climate than any other State or Ter- 
ritory in the Union.'' The statistics in his bureau demonstrated that 
' malarial diseases here are of a much milder type than elsewhere. ' The 
death-rate he found among the troops serving in the 

Middle United States i to 36 of Remittent Fever. 

Northern " i to 52 " 

Southern " i to 54 " 

Texas i to 78 " 

California i to 122 " 

New Mexico i to 148 " 

Florida . I to 287 " 

*' The average annual mortality of the whole peninsula, Surgeon- 
General Lawson ' found to be 2.06, against 3.05 in other portions of the 
United States.' " 



What to Wear. 

It is most difficult to get Northerners, who have never been South, to 
appreciate the fact that Northern Florida is not a tropical climate. 
Indeed, the entire State is far north of the Tropic of Cancer, and it is 
the same distance from Green Cove Spring to the Equator as it is to 
Greenland, or the extreme northern coast of Labrador. No matter 
what you tell people before they have wintered in Florida, however, you 
still find them expressing surprise that in December, January, and 
February the weather is frequently quite cool, so that a pine- knot fire on 
the hearth is comfortable. " Roasting to death " is the impression which 
seems to prevail in most Northern minds, when speaking of the Florida 
climate ; whereas the testimony of New-Yorkers who have lived the 
year round in North Florida is that it is not as hot there, even in July 



24 WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

and August, as it is in the city of New York, although the Summers are 
long. I have heard it repeatedly stated that such a thing as a sun-stroke 
was never known in the State. In the afternoons the trade-winds spring 
up, and the nights are quite cool. 

People going there should remember that, in the Winter months, 
warm clothes are needed. Even overcoats and shawls are necessary for 
travellers, and for the invalid always requisite to be carried along. 

Perhaps, if the reader will take his map of North America and glance 
at it a moment, this idea can be more strongly impressed upon his mind. 
Look for parallel 20 of north latitude. It will be seen that it passes 
through the lower end of Cuba. Then run your eye up to parallel 30 
of north latitude. You will see that it passes through Florida, just 
where Green Cove Spring is located. Then look farther northward to 
parallel 40, and you will observe that it passes through the city of Phil- 
adelphia. If, therefore, the weather in December is hot in Cuba and 
freezing in Philadelphia, you may reasonably expect it to be temperate 
at Green Cove Spring, half-way between Philadelphia and Cuba. 

And it is this very thing which, to health and pleasure seekers, is so 
delightful — a teviperate climate, neither scorching hot nor freezing cold. 
The birds ascertained this fact before men did, and they wisely availed 
themselves of their instinct knowledge. 

When it is considered that the tourist or the invalid can go from the 
North to Green Cove in less than three days ; that letters from home 
pass in the same time ; that a telegraph message can reach him in a few 
moments, and that the climate is unexcelled, it seems a wonder that so 
many persons should cross the seas to distant and inaccessible places, in 
search of what is so near at hand. 

It needs no prophetic vision to see that the next two or three decades 
of time will exhibit to the traveller of that day beautiful Winter seats of 
Northern gentlemen dotted all along the ever verdant shores of the St. 
John's River. Indeed, many are already to be seen on either bank of 
the river, as the steamer plies southward. 

Surely no Italian moonlight scene, or fabled night upon the Mediter- 
ranean, can possibly excel the rising of the full moon on the St. John's, 
as seen from the piazzas on the west bank of the river, in the month of 
January, 



A WORD TO THE A^ISE. 



25 



A Word to the Wise. 



The Winter home of Mr. Thaddeus Davids, of New York, at the com- 
mencement of St. David's Path, overlooks a magnificent expanse of 
water. I doubt if there is a finer site on the St. John's. The eye 
reaches twelve miles down the river, and even farther in the opposite 
direction. It is like a fine lake. The grounds about the house contain 
large forest-trees and picturesque clumps of palmetto. The orange 
grove in the rear has, I believe, more than a thousand trees, some large 
and some small, many of which were in bloom last Spring. A profusion 
of vegetables, fresh from Mr. Davids' gardens, are upon his table daily 
in the Winter. 




■WjffT^R '.'I'ME op Thaddeus Da^^ids 
U ' '•■''" '' 1 <7rcenCoveSptin 



T(a. 



m 



Few there are of the wealthy men of the North who have discovered 
how best to enjoy the declining years of life. They sacrifice too much 



26 "WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

time to money-getting. They should take a trip to Green Cove Spring, 
a stroll through St. David's Path, a look at this model Winter home, 
investigate out-of-door life in Florida, and then decide whether or no 
Mr. Davids' example here is worth following. 

When a man is far removed from the contentions of a busy life, and 
his mind is left open to the healthful influences of nature, he is apt to 
pause awhile, and to reflect upon this problem of life. He sees — as in 
a vision — an array of human experiences passing in his mind's eye. 
Here are some, with well-matured plans, closing life in. disappointed 
hopes. There are others, successful to the last, but dying too soon to 
enjoy. Here, again, are others, who still go on heaping up more and 
more riches as they near the end of life. As if they had not enough 
already. 

He wonders that all mankind cannot learn the philosophy of the 
" golden mean," and he concludes to take some rational enjoyment him- 
self, before it is too late. 



Advice to Invalids. 

1st. Find out the cause of your disease, and remove it at once if you 



can. 



2d. If the cause is found in the severity of Northern Winters, your 
remedy is to live there no longer, but move to Florida, and make it your 
home. It is absurd to expect a disease of years' growth to be cured 
in a few months, and by returning soon to the place where it was 
contracted. 

3d. If you cannot leave the North altogether, do the next best thing 
— leave it for the Winter months. Go to Florida on November 1st, and 
stay until June 15th. Above all, do not return home in April or May. 
They are the most treacherous months in the North. 

4th. If your case is considered hopeless by your physician, it seems 
foolish to go to Florida to die ; therefore, do not wait and put off going 
there year after year, until your case becomes hot>eless. Self-preservation 
is the first law. Other considerations are merely secondary. 

5th. If your case is not hopeless, but is only very bad, my advice is 
to go to Florida at once, buy a small plot of ground, live there all the 



goyerkor's creek. 27 

year round, plant orange-trees and bananas, and snuff up new life from 
the soil. One gentleman told me his case was pronounced hopeless 
twenty-six years ago. He bought a place, worked in the soil, never 
returned North, and is now alive and well. 

6th. When you arrive in Florida, do not fret yourself and waste your 
remaining vitality by restlessly travelling from one place to another. 
This is the worst thing you can do. Find a comfortable spot, stay there 
until June 15th — rest and recruit. Bask in the sunlight all day long. 
Be carefjil of your diet, and act like a sane man. The most irrational 
people I have ever seen are the invalids who visit Florida. When they 
arrive there they feel so much better, that they do everything they ought 
not, and rarely a thing they ought to do. They will not let nature right 
itself. 

7th. Take plenty of warm clothing and underclothing, and upon your 
first arrival there, do not begin at once to eat a dozen oranges daily, 
simply because they taste good. So much of acidity taken into the 
system every day, and long continued, will make a well man ill. 

8th. The hardest thing for an invalid to bear is to be confined month 
after month in a close room, breathing artificial air, and eating and 
drinking the products of an apothecary's shop. In Florida he may live 
in the sunlight, breathe pure air, and leave most of his drugs behind 
him. Why not stop the use of drugs entirely in Florida, that they may 
be more potent when requisite to be used again at the North ? 



GOVERNOR'S Creek. 

" And this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues m trees, 

Books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything." 

— As You Like It. 

No lover of nature should ever go away from Green Cove Spring 
without taking a row on " Governor's Creek." It is a good plan to hire 
a row-boat directly after dinner, instruct the boy to row it to the mouth 
of the creek, and await you there. Then you can stroll through St. 
David's Path, meeting the boat just at the junction of Governor's 
Creek and the St. John's River. Thus you can have a lovely walk 



28 



"WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 




through the woods, — shady all 
the way, — besides the row upon 
the creek. 

At first you glide under the 

old draw-bridge, then past and 

through an immense field of huge 

'■._:. % ^% ' lily-pads, where the pathway in 

'■ -■ ' \ .- the water is about wide enough 

for the boat to pass — then out again into the broad creek. It is most 

important to select a day when the wind is not blowing hard, as you 

will soon perceive, for the reflections in the water are the chief attraction, 

and the surface should be wholly unrippled. 



GOVERNOR S CREEK. 29 

Now, as the boat glides along towards the old mill, you begin to see 
the reflections. The water is like a French-plate mirror, and the small- 
est leaf upon a lofty branch, or the tiny twig at the top of the highest 
tree, is perfectly mirrored in the stream beneath. 

All the colors of the sky and the passing clouds, all the neutral tints 
upon the trunks of trees, the fungus, lichen, and mosses of the forest, 
the overhanging branches and flowering shrubs, the clustering vines 
along the shore, every bird that sings upon the outspread branch, 
all the lily-pads, every visible thing upon and above the water, is 
daguerreotyped in perfection. No picture could be more minute, more 
exquis'ite. 

When you come to those parts of the forest where the trees have been 
cut away, and the view opens back into the country, a marvellous effect 
is produced ; the land seems to be reflected in the water for half a mile 
back from the shore. Trees and objects standing far away from the 
creek are most plainly reflected — the same as if at the water's edge. 
The effect is phenomenal, for you seem to be looking under the land, as 
into the fabled grottoes of the Naiads, or the embosomed homes of the 
Water Nymphs. If there be any poetry in the soul of man, this lovely 
semi-tropical scene is sure to arouse it. 

As your boat glides along the creek, past the old mill, and far up 
into the narrow stream, where the branches are within reach of your 
hand, you instinctively pause — rest upon your oars — sit still and hold 
your breath in the midst of profound silence. 

Wild and undressed nature is about you on every side. The prime- 
val forest is there — the same as it has stood and perpetuated itself for 
untold ages. Above you is the blue sky. Nothing human is near save 
the occupants of your own boat. Imagination pictures a thousand 
strange fancies then. You hsten for the song of the tropical bird, for 
the howl of some wild beast in the tangled forest, or perhaps for the 
war-whoop of an Indian brave, which, but a few years ago, blanched the 
skin of the pale-face upon this very spot. Your fancy pictures, over 
yonder, a bark canoe gliding noiselessly out from that leaf-covered 
nook, and rounding the curves of the stream until it passes out of sight, 
and as the day wanes you linger there, loth to turn back homeward, 
until the loud bark of a huge bull-frog awakens you to the fact that 
evening is at hand, warning you to go. 

Be sure to pause on the way at the red clay bank, on the left, going 
up; it gives you one of the most beautiful reflections upon the creek. 



30 WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

And you will find, as you are rowing along back towards the St. John's 
River again, that the effects of the declining sun produce most gorgeous 
pictures in the water on all sides and at every turn. A friend from the 
North exclaimed while reluctantly leaving Governor's Creek one day, 
" This is indeed worth coming all the way to Florida to see.'''' 



Winter Seats, Etc. 

Among the Winter seats at Green Cove may be named the following : 

Mr. Thaddeus Davids, of New York, has extensive grounds, with 
young orange-grove and gardens, and has erected a beautiful residence 
on the banks of the river. 

Dr. Cary A. Trimble, of Columbus, Ohio, has a very pretty cottage, 
a thriving orange-grove, and ornamental grounds. 

Mr. Jno. S*. Harris, of Ravenswood, L. I., and Dr. J. W. Apple- 
gate, of Indiana (owners and proprietors of the " Clarendon "), have, 
for a number of years, made Green Cove their Winter residence. 

Col. Houstoun Clinch, of Savannah, is just starting an extensive 
orange-grove. 

Dr. Rogers, of Pomfret, Conn., has lately built a very unique cot- 
tage at the Magnolia end of St. David's Path, and is now resident 
physician at Green Cove. 

General S. F. Barstow, U. S. Army, has lately purchased a 
corner lot opposite the Spring, and proposes to build this year. 

Mr. Edgerton, of Long Island, has a snug cottage and extensive 
grounds on Magnolia Street. 

Mrs. Duncan, of Philadelphia, has a cottage on Main Street, and 
some very fine orange-trees. 

Mr. G. R. Kelsey, of West Haven, Conn., has a cottage and pretty 
grounds on Front Street, with an outlook on the river, and Mr. Smith, 
of the same place, has a cottage and small orange-grove. 



IS FLORIDA OVER-HUMID? ' 31 

Mrs. Rufus C. Reed, of New York, has a cozy little house on the 
Cove, with some fine orange-trees on her grounds. 

Mr. Lucas Muhoberaz, late proprietor of Hotel San Carlos, at 
Havana, is now erecting a cottage upon a lot opposite the spring. 

Mr. Page, of Ohio, has some fine lots on Palmer and Magnolia 
Streets, and will build the coming year. 

Mr. Daniel F. Tyler, of New York, has a cottage fronting on the 
St. John's (adjoining " Riverside "), lately purchased by him of Judge 
Bullock, of Bristol, R. I. 

A little back from the town, Mr. C. C. Bemis has a farm and 
orange-grove ; and Messrs. GouLD Butler, of New York, and John 
Arden, of Providence, and Rev. Mr. Ellis, of Illinois, have bought 
places and started orange-groves. Mr. Lucas, also, has a market 
garden there. Out on this fine ridge of ground a large settlement is fast 
growing up. 

Capt. Henry Henderson, one of the Florida pioneers, for many 
years a resident of Green Cove, is, I believe, from Northern New York. 
He has resided in Florida for more than half a century. Being now 
past fourscore years of age, and a hale and hearty old gentleman, he is a 
fine specimen of what Florida climate does for longevity. 

Capt. Porter, from Oneida County, N. Y., is another old resident, 
having been in Florida more than thirty-five years. 



Is Florida Over-Humid? 

Last winter I was told by a young chemist from Philadelphia, who 
had been testing the humidity of the atmosphere at Green Cove, that he 
was astonished to find his instruments recording a less humid air than 
that of admitted dry places in higher latitudes. I regret that I have not 
his figures for publication here. 

But the very first winter I passed in Florida, my mind was operated 
upon chiefly by my own sensations, and practical observations there. 
To me it seemed very dry indeed. 



32 



VyHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 



In wandering in the woods at Green Cove, I had observed that the 
lichen, commonly called " tree moss," and the fungus upon old logs in 
the woods, appeared drier than I had seen it in other places. Also 
that the roofs of old houses and sheds there did not seem to collect 
green mould and thick mossy deposits, as in localities that were called 
"dry" elsewhere. Those simple evidences, to me, were better argu- 
ments than " idle talk " and mere assertion. 

But, to cover the ground more fully, I give the reader the benefit of the 
following extract from an article written by Dr. C. J. Kenworthy (author 
of " Climatology of Florida"), in the Jacksonville Sun and Press : 

" Mentone, on the Mediterranean, is a celebrated climatic resort, and 
is recommended because it possesses a comparatively ' dry atmosphere.' 
It is admitted by all that Minnesota possesses a dry climate. Hence we 
shall judge Florida by these localities. 



" Mean Relative Humidity. 



YEARS. 



1875 • 

1876 

1877 

1878 

1879 

Mean for five years 

Mean for five years for States 



MINNESOTA. 



4) lU 

o -a 



pr. ct. 

75-7 
67.7 
72.2 
76.2 
74.1 



pr. ct. 

67 
68 

71 
71 
72 



73.2 70.3 67.7 



fin 



pr. ct. 

69.0 
69.1 
67.6 
67.7 
65-3 



70.4 



FLORIDA. 



pr. ct. 

70.3 
67.2 

69-3 
68.7 
69.7 



c « 



pr. ct. 
76.0 
73-9 
70.5 
72.4 

72-3 



69.0 73.0 74.2 



biJ: 



pr. ct. 

71-5 
76.1 

74.1 

74-5 
74.2 



72.1 



" From the above data it will be found that the atmosphere of peninsu- 
lar Florida, which, Dr. Jones, of Minnesota, says is ' loaded with moist- 
ure,' contains but i ^^ per cent, of moisture in excess of that of Minnesota 
for the entire year. 



RELATIVE MEAN HUMIDITY, 



33 



" But it is the Jive cold months which interest invalids, and during this 
period peninsular Florida offers a drier climate than Mentone or 
Minnesota. 

" Relative Mean Humidity. 



Mentone 

Augusta, Ga 

Breckenridge, Minn 

Duluth, Minn 

St. Paul, Minn 

Jacksonville, Fla . . . 

Key West, Fla 

Punta Rassa 





X. 

E 

> 

c 

;2 




6 

V 

u 

V 

Q 


3 
C 


CS 

3 




S IT) 




pr ct 


pr ct 


pr ct 


pr Ct 


pr ct 


pr ct 


•-> 


71.8 


74.2 


72.0 


70.7 


73-3 


72.4 




71 


8 


72.6 


73-0 


64.7 


62.8 


68.9 


5 


76 


9 


83.2 


7b. 8 


81.8 


79-5 


79.6 


5 


74 





72.1 


72.7 


73-3 


71.0 


72.6 


5 


70 


3 


n-^ 


7S.2 


70.7 


b7.i 


71-3 


5 


71 


9 


69-3 


70.2 


68. s 


^3-9 


68.8 


5 


n 


I 


78.7 


78.9 


77.2 


72.2 


76.8 


5 


72 


7 


73-2 


74.2 


73-7 


69.9 


72.7 






pr ct 




" From the above reliable data, it will be seen that the mean relative 
humidity of Mentone exceeds that of Jacksonville by nearly four per 
cent. Three stations in Minnesota have a mean of 74.3, and three stations 
in peninsular Florida a mean of 72. 7, showing a percentage of 1.6 in 
favor of Florida, and 5.5 per cent, in favor of Jacksonville over Minne- 
sota, and 2.5 per cent, in favor of Jacksonville over St. Paul." 

There appears to be, in some quarters, an effort to misrepresent 
Florida ; but it will not avail. Florida can take care of itself, never fear, 
with the aid of the able men now there, and who are going there year 
after year. True merit (for selfish purposes) is often decried, misrepre- 
sented, scandalized. But it is patient withal. It waits for the truth to 
enlighten the public. This comes at last. And then merit rests upon 
an enduring foundation. The real cause of wonder should be, not that 
Florida lacks dryness, — with its sandy soil, its warm sun, and its miles 
upon miles of piny-woods, — but that it is not as dry as the Desert of 
Sahara, in the same latitude. Florida needs all the moisture it has, and 
more too. It seems about as absurd to charge Florida with over-humid- 
ity as it would be to complain of a lack of ice in Greenland. 



34 



"WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA, 



St. MARY'S Episcopal Church, Green 
Cove Spring, Florida. 

The need of an Episcopal church at Green Cove Spring having long 
been felt, a few church people deter- 
mined, in 1878, to make an effort to 
supply this want. After obtaining ^.^i^i/>i^ 
the sanction and effective cooper a- '■^!!2^W 
tion of the Bishop of the Dio- ^^^-^mi^^ 
cese, subscriptions and do- 
nations were solicited and 
obtained. The work on 
the church was com- 
menced in the year 
1878; and now, 
through the liberality 




St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Green Cove Spring, Florida. 






NATURAL qUESTIONS. 35 

of friends, Green Cove possesses one of the prettiest church-buildings 
in the diocese. It stands upon the river bank, on land given by Mr. 
Thaddeus Davids, and is within easy walking distance of all parts of the 
town. The plan of the church was furnished by the Bishop, and is by 
Mr. Haight, of New York. Though not imposing externally, it is 
beautiful inside. A triple chancel window and two lancet windows 
opposite, all of stained glass, are the work of Mr. Colgate, of New York, 
and were given (as were the other windows) by Mrs. John Dore, of 
New York, in memory of her husband, who had much enjoyed the win- 
ters passed at Green Cove. 

Many handsome special gifts have been made to the church, among 
which are two beautiful embroidered altar-cloths, a silver communion 
service, a Bible and prayer-books for altar service, an illuminated dip- 
tych, a handsome cross and lectern for the altar, a bishop's chair, a cross 
for the church spire, a chancel-rail, etc., etc., etc. 

Mr. Davids has built a substantial dock for the benefit of the guests 
at Magnolia. 

The seats in the church are comfortable, and are free to all. It is 
expected that service will always be held there during the season of vis- 
itors. The music is particularly good. Mrs. Clinton Davids, a resident 
of Green Cove, who is a thorough musician, kindly takes charge of it, 
and always manages to have an efficient choir. 

Though not yet quite finished, the church has no debt. The first serv- 
ice in " St. Mary's " was held on Sunday, March 9th, 1S79, when the 
Rev. Mr. Aspinwall, of Bay Ridge, L. I., officiated. 



Natural Questions. 

It is astonishing to witness the interest felt by nearly every one with 
whom you converse about Florida. People are at once attentive to all 
that is said. Thousands of Northerners have never been there, and they 
eagerly ask many questions about it, some of which are not easy to 
answer. For instance : 

1st. What does an OranCxE-Grove cost? Anszver: All sorts 
of prices. A poor man may buy an acre of ground from $5 to $100, 
plant the trees, wait from six to ten years, raise vegetables in the mean- 



36 "WHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 

time, and thus have his own grove. But an old grove, with 500 full- 
bearing trees, is worth many thousands of dollars. 

2d. What does it cost to go to Green Cove? Answer: 
From New York, by ocean steamer, about $26. By rail, about $33. 
From the Western States, from $45 to $70, I believe. 

3d. Can White Men work out in the heat of the day all 
Summer? Attyiacr: Many say they never miss a day in the year, even 
the first year they arrive there ; but I think it best to be prudent the first 
year or two. 

4th. Is Florida Sickly in Summer? Anszaer: No place on 
earth is exempt. They sometimes have fevers, mainly contracted by a 
wretched diet and careless living, but said to be comparatively light and 
easily cured. With proper living, one can keep perfectly well. So the 
veteran pioneer there (Capt. Henderson) tells me. 

5th. Can a Poor Man make a Living at once? Answer: If 
a good workman, yes. I should think it easier to get a livelihood there 
than anywhere else I know of. But lazy and shiftless persons had better 
stay away. The community is too new to support paupers. 

6th. What is the price of Labor there? Answer: I think 
it is from half a dollar to one dollar per day, according to the season. 

7th. What does Lumber cost? Aitswer: There is a saw-mill at 
Green Cove, and lumber costs from $10 to $15 per thousand. 

8th. What is the price of Freight? Answer: There are so 
many lines to Florida that it is very cheap. I have sent an immense 
packing-case from New York to Green Cove for one dollar, and a barrel 
of flour costs from 30 to 40 cents freight from New York. 

9th. Is there a Post-office and Telegraph Station there ? 
Answer: Yes, both. Mr. Thos. Roberts is the postmaster. 

loth. Are Taxes low ? Anszuer: Yes ; they are about one per 
cent., I think, and the law permits the owner to fix the value. It is said 
there are thirty States in the Union where taxes are higher. 

nth. Is there a Physician at Green Cove? Answer: Yes. 
Dr. Rogers is there during the winter months, and also Dr. W. D. Col- 
mar, who resides there permanently, and has a drug-store in connection 
with his practice. 

1 2th. Does an Orange-Grove pay ? Answer: Few things pay 
better, as the Florida orange is the highest priced in market. You can- 
not send too many oranges North from Florida. Let us have them cut 
up, like peaches, on our breakfast table. They ought to be so plenty as 



NATURAL, QUESTIONS. 37 

to put them in the New York market at two cents, instead of six to eight 
cents, each. A great many oranges are sold in market and called 
" Florida oranges. " This is a great fraud upon the public. In a few 
years I expect to see the Florida orange rule all others out of market 
in price, as they now do, and always will, in flavor. 

13th. Do YOU NEED TO BUY MUCH Land ? Answer: No. The 
idea is, many farmers, with a Utile land each. These are the men who 
are welcomed — good workers, no matter how poor they are. 

14th. Do YOU HAVE Frost in Florida? Answer: Yes, not 
unfrequently in the months of December, January, and February. 
Young orange-trees, when unprotected, are sometimes injured by it as 
far south as the Indian River region, and beyond. Many contradictory 
things are told us in Florida, and we know not at first what to believe. 
This results from too great local enthusiasm and a laudable anxiety to 
attract desirable neighbors. That the climate and soil of Green Cove is 
adapted to the orange, is shown by the thrifty condition of the young 
groves there. Hundreds of wild orange-trees, growing until recently 
on the " Bayard Tract," prove also that this region is the natural habitat 
of the orange. Nearly all of these wild trees, except those too large to 
be easily handled, have been transplanted into groves elsewhere to be 
budded on. The raising of wild orange-trees in large nurseries ought 
to become a lucrative business at Green Cove. They are, even now, 
growing very scarce everywhere. 

15th. Are THERE ANY STORES AT Green Cove ? Answer: Yes, 
several. You can purchase about all you need there. And this is a 
potent reason for settling there, instead of at some point away from all 
conveniences and from all society — a mistake that many persons make 
in order to buy land a little cheaper. Is it not a good idea to own less 
land at a better place ? 



Excursions. 

Green Cove is admirably located as an objective point for tourists, 
there are so many pleasant jaunts to be enjoyed therefrom. 

A Trip to St. Augustine : Start off about 1 1 o'clock a. m. ; arrive 
at St. Augustine in a few hours ; stay all night, and return next day. 



38 "yirHERE TO QO IN FLORIDA. 

Upper St. John's Trip : If desired, the steamer can be taken at 
Green Cove, and the excursionist may go to Enterprise, on Lake Mon- 
roe, and back again to Green Cove, remaining on the steamer all the 
time. This trip takes about three days, and is one of the most beautiful 
excursions in Florida. 

OcLAWAHA River Trip : This celebrated excursion requires three 
or four days. Oclawaha steamers start from Palatka. Steamers from 
Green Cove to Palatka daily. Distance, about forty-five miles. 

Trip to Mandarin : At Mandarin is the Winter home of Mrs. 
Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is distant from Green Cove about twelve 
miles — a very pleasant trip. 

Trip up Black Creek : This excursion takes all day, and is very 
picturesque. A little steamer is chartered by the pleasure-party at 
Green Cove for about twelve dollars, and the party can picnic in the 
woods at the old deserted village of Middleburgh. The scenery along 
this creek is equal to that of the Oclawaha River, and alligators which 
have been frightened from the St. John's may here be seen. 

Trip to Fort George Island : This is a very pleasurable jaunt, 
and takes all day. The island lies at the mouth of the St. John's 
River. Fishing there is very fine, and the drives on the island most 
beautiful. 

There are many other beautiful excursions near by, for picnics, 
fishing, sporting, and alligator-hunting, and I am told that the drives 
and horseback rides through the pine woods are very fine. 



Advice to New- Comers. 



By J. S. Parker. 



adopted by the FLORIDA FRUIT-GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 

Immigration to Florida, during any month of the year, is attended 
with as little risk as a residence in New York during the same month. 

To commence farming, every month in the year is a good time. 

January : Attend the Fruit Growers' convention and fair ; set out 
asparagus roots and sow seeds ; dig stumps ; make fences ; paint the 



ADVICE TO NEW-COMERS. 39 

house ; make repairs and clean up generally ; set out orange-trees and 
plant Irish potatoes: gather and market oranges, grape fruit, limes, 
citrons, and lemons ; put out shade-trees ; make hot-beds for early spring 
vegetables; plant all hardy vegetables. This is the best month to set 
out grape-cuttings. 

February : Set out grape-vines ; plant Irish potatoes, corn, cucum- 
bers, and squashes ; make a hot-bed to propagate sweet potatoes ; trans- 
plant shade-trees; finish breaking up the ground; by the 15th, plant 
sugar-cane; hoe the garden; clean the grass from the fences to prevent 
fire from reaching them; gather and market oranges, lemons, citrons, 
limes, and bananas. 

March: Sow oats, pease, and turnips; plant corn; pick black- 
berries and strawberries; plant Irish potatoes; make trellises in the 
vineyard; by the 15th, plant melons, cucumbers, squashes, radishes, 
beans, and pumpkins ; gather and market oranges, limes, lemons, citrons, 

and grape fruit. 

April : Pick blackberries and strawberries ; plant melons, pump- 
kins, cucumbers, okra, squashes, corn, and lettuce; hoe the grape-vines 
and nursery; set out Guinea grass; sow cow-pease and corn for fodder; 
gather oranges, etc. 

May : Hoeing ; plant sweet potatoes ; dig Irish potatoes ; sow corn 
for fodder ; gather and ship vegetables ; pick strawberries, blackberries, 
huckleberries, and plums. 

June : Dig Irish potatoes ; gather the grapes, melons, tomatoes, and 
vegetables generally : sow cow-pease ; plant sweet potatoes ; gather 
plums, peaches, and huckleberries. • 

July : Market the grapes, melons, peaches, and figs ; set out orange- 
trees (except sour orange stumps) ; plant sweet potatoes. 

August: Transplant and bud orange-trees; sow cow-pease 
and corn for fodder ; make beds and sow seed for cabbage-plants ; 
gather pomegranates, grapes, peaches, melons; stick slips for sweet 

potatoes. 

September : Hoe out the nursery of orange-trees ; plow and hoe 
the vineyard; set out Guinea grass; sow corn for fodder; sow cabbage, 
turnips, celery, radishes, and lettuce ; set out strawberries ; commence the 
winter garden ; gather and market corn. 

October : We commence digging sweet potatoes ; prepare ground 
for cabbages, and set out plants; extend the Winter garden: harvest 
cow-pease; fill the barns with hay; brand the calves; fill the wood-shed 



40 



VyHERE TO GO IN FLORIDA. 



and whitewash; set out strawberries; make guava jelly; sow oats and 
rye. During the last of the month, begin to transplant orange-trees. 

November : Finish making hay ; dig potatoes ; cut the Guinea 
grass ; make sugar ; work at the Winter garden ; continue planting 
orange and other fruit trees ; plant strawberries ; begin marketing 
oranges ; prune grape-vines immediately after first hard frost. 

December: Make sugar; bank the seed cane or plant it; hoe the 
garden; chop wood; grub and clear ground ; pick and market oranges, 
lemons, citrons, and limes ; protect young nursery stock and tender 
plants from frost ; continue planting orange and other fruit trees ; plant 
grape-vines, English pease, and Irish potatoes. 




mo> 



W^ff^^¥^ 



STEAMER ROUTES TO FLORIDA. 4I 

ROUTES TO FLORIDA OVERLAND. 



Savannah, Florida and Western "All-Rail Route." 
N. Y. City, 315 Broadway. 
Chicago, Office P. C. & St. L. R. R. 
St. Louis, Office of O. & Miss. R. R. 

Detroit, Office of L. S. & M. S. R. R. 

(See Advertisement hereafter.) 

Piedmont Air Line Railroad, via Richmond, Charlotte, and Atlanta. 
New York, No. 9 Astor House and 944 Broadway. 
Philadelphia^ Cor. Broad and Chestnut Streets. 
Boston, 228 Washington Street. 

Magnolia Route, via Augusta and Yemasee. 

Office, 347 Broadway, New York City. 
Kennesaw Route, via Washington, Lynchburg, Knoxville, Dalton, 
Atlanta, INIacon, and Jesup. 

New York, No. i Astor House, and 303 and 944 Broadway. 

Boston, 203 Washington Street. 

Philadelphia, 700 Chestnut Street. 



Atlantic Coast Line Railway, via Richmond, Wilmington, Charleston, 

and Savannah. 

New York, No. i Astor House and 944 Broadway. 
Philadelphia, 501 or 838 Chestnut Street. 
Boston, 205 or 306 Washington Street. 
Cincinnati, 171 Walnut Street. 

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. 

New York, 261 and 315 Broadway. 
Boston, 219 Washington Street. 
Philadelphia, 700 and 838 Chestnut Street. 



STEAMER ROUTES TO FLORIDA. 



Savannah S. S. Line, Wednesday and Saturday. New Pier 35, 
North River, foot Spring Street. See Advertisement hereafter. 
Office, Geo. Yonge, 409 Broadway, New York. 

Charleston S. S. Line, Wednesday and Saturday. Foot of Park 
Place, Pier 27, North River. 

New York, B. D. Hassell, 317 Broadway. 
Boston, 54 Central Wharf. 



42 HOW TO GO TO FLORIDA. 

Mallory Line for Fernandina and Jacksonville, Fla. 
Foot Burling Slip, East River, New York. 

Old Dominion Line, 197 Greenwich Street, New York. 

Chesapeake Bay Line Steamers. 
New York, 229 Broadway. 
Philadelphia, 828 Chestnut Street. 
Boston, 306 Washington Street. 
Baltimore, 157 West Baltimore Street. 

Inland Steamer Route from Savannah Office. 

Fernandina Line, Pier 3 North River, New York. 
Philadelphia and Savannah Steamers. Pier 22, Philadelphia. 
Office, 416 So. Delaware Avenue. 



SAILING VESSELS. 



From New York to Jacksonville. 

Warren Ray's Line, Pier 15, East River. 
Slaght, Bailey & Co.'s Line, 78 South Street. 
Despatch Line — G. H. Squire, 91 Front Street. 
W. H. Van Brunt, 165 Maiden Lane. 
James A. Van Brunt, 75 South Street. 

From New York to St. Augustine. 

Bentley, Gilder sleeve & Co., 159 Maiden Lane. 



From New York to Tampa, Florida. 
Benner & Pinkney, 19 Old Slip. 
Overton & Hawkins, 163 Maiden Lane. 

From New York to Fernandina. 
Abiel Abbot, 53 South Street. 
J. A. Van Brunt, 75 South Street. 
Overton & Hawkins, 163 Maiden Lane. 
Warren Ray & Co., 62 South Street. 
Slaght, Bailey & Co., 78 South Street. 
E. D. Hurlbut & Co., 85 South Street. 

From New York to Pensacola. 

Benner & Pinkney, 19 Old Slip. 
Slaght, Bailey & Co., 78 South Street. 
Evans, Ball & Co., 36 South Street. 



43 




Clarendon Hotel, 

GREEN COVE SPRING 

^* FLORIDA. *^ 
Open from December to May. 



Address by mail or telegraph, 

HARRIS & APPLEGATE, Proprietors. 



This Hotel is the largest on the St. John's south of Jacksonville; is provided with 
Electric Bells ; and its appointments are equal to any Hotel in Florida. Billiard- Saloon 
and Bowling-Alley attached. Two large Cottages belonging to the Hotel, and very 
near by, furnish more private quarters to those who so desire. 



44 

"THE MAGNOLIA/^ 



a«— I-'-^^s- 



This Hotel at Magnolia 



About 25 miles above, or south of, Jacksonville, and near 
Green Cove Spring, 

Alw^ays a popular place of resort, which was burned at the opening of 
the season of 1879-80, is now being replaced by a new, substantial, and 
elegant edifice, to be managed by Mr. O. D. Seavey, Manager of the 
Maplewood Hotel, Bethlehem, N. H. 



It will Accommodate 150 Guests 

In the best manner, and with all modern luxuries and improvements. 
In addition to this new building, there are 

SIX LARGE COTTAGES 

Which furnish comfortable quarters for those who prefer this mode of 
accommodation. Every room or suit of rooms has its open fire-place, 
and everything will be provided that the most fastidious invalid or 
tourist can desire. Every effort will be made to have the whole estab- 
lishment ready for guests during the coming December. 

That the principal owner of the property, Mr. Isaac S. Cruft, of 
Boston, is also the owner of the Maplewood Hotel and cottages at 
Bethlehem, New Hampshire, is an assurance that Magnolia will be all it 
ought to be to deserve and command public patronage. 



45 

Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, 



OPERATING THE 



WAYCROSS SHORT LINE 

^ TO FLORIDA. 3iM- 



TWO FAST THROUGH TRAINS DAILY 
BETWEEN SAVANNAH AND JACKSONVILLE. 



The most elegant Passenger Coaches, excelled by none in beauty of construction 
or completeness of their arrangements for luxury and comfort. 

Palace Sleeping-Cars on all night trains. Sumptuous Smoking-Cars of unique 
design and luxurious appointment; and Dining Cars, furnished by experienced 
caterers, permitting the enjoyment of aj^rsi-class tneal a.t leisure while moving rapidly 
to destination. 

The recent completion of the new Short Line to Florida, with its superior con- 
struction and superb equipment in railway appliances, offers to the travelling public 
advantages equalled by no other line. 

THIS IS THE ONLY LINE 

IN AND OUT OF FLORIDA WHICH AFFORDS ITS CONNECTION 

A COMPLETE CHOICE OF ROUTES TO ALL POINTS. 



I^^" Ask for tickets via the new WAYCROSS SHORT LINE— the only 
all-rail route to Florida. 

Tickets on sale at all the principal Railway and Steamship Ticket Offices. 

H. S. HAINES, JAS. L. TAYLOR, 

General Manager. Gen'l Pass. Agent. 

C. D. OWENS, J. H. GRIFFIN, 

General Agent, 315 Broadway, N. Y. Passenger Agent. 



46 



THE BAYARD TRACT. 



-4--^ 



This body of land was granted by the Spanish Government, in 
April, 1816, to the Surveyor-General of the Colony; and the grant was 
confirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States in January, 1834. 

Shortly after the cession of Florida to the United States, the tract 
was purchased from the grantee by Gen. Duncan L. Clinch. 



It has recently been subdivided into 

Lots of 20 and 40 Acres 



WHICH ARE 



NOW OFFERED FOR SALE 

On Reasonable Terms to Actual Settlers, 

By the undersigned, as agent for Colonel Houstoun Clinch. 
They comprise 

TEN MILES OF RIVER FRONT, 

Affording beautiful sites for Residences and Orange Groves. 



SEVERAL THOUSAND ACRES OF RIDGE LAND 

No land in Florida is better adapted to the cultivation of the orange, 
and no locality anywhere can be more healthy. 



47 

A LARGE AREA UNDERLAID BY SHELL MARL, 

Capable of producing as fine crops of sugar, cotton, corn, and vegetables 
as any land in the State. 



As these lots are contiguous to the rapidly growing town of 

GREEN COVE SPRINGS, 

The county seat of Clay County, they offer to purchasers the advantage 
of rapid and convenient transportation, and of daily mails, the telegraph, 
churches, good schools, and intelligent society. 



THEY INCLUDE ALSO 

TOWN LOTS IN GREEN COVE SPRINGS, 

AND 

VILLA LOTS ON ST. DAVID'S PATH, 
The most beautiful River Front on the St. John's. 



SEVERAL NEAT AND SUBSTANTIAL COTTAGES 

Are now being built, and will be completed by the 1st of January, 1882. 
They will be for rent, furnished, or for sale, unfurnished. 
For fuller information apply to 

C. C. BEMIS, Agent, 

Green Cove Springs, Clay Co. Florida. 




WT M.CWHKE.lirH.121 123 S? S'.'AVE. NY. 



